1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a recording and/or reproducing apparatus, and more particularly, to a record bearing medium container loading device in a recording and/or reproducing apparatus of the front loading type.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Among recording and/or reproducing apparatuses of the kind which record information on a disc-shaped record bearing medium, such as a flexible magnetic disc, while concentrically or helically forming a recording track or tracks, and/or reproducing the information thus recorded, some of them are arranged to have a record bearing medium container, which is called a cassette, a jacket or a package (hereinafter called the cassette), inserted from the front side of the apparatus. This loading arrangement is called a front loading method.
In accordance with the front loading method, the cassette is generally inserted by hand into a cassette holding part (hereinafter referred to as a cassette holder) from the front side of the apparatus. A loading switch operates to actuate a loading motor when the cassette reaches a predetermined position of insertion. Then, the cassette holder, which is thus holding the cassette, first moves in the direction of insertion and, following that movement, comes to almost perpendicularly descend to a predetermined position. At the predetermined position, the record bearing medium which is contained in the cassette is mounted on a drive member, such as a spindle, which is connected to a record bearing medium driving motor. In taking out the cassette, the loading motor reversely rotates. This causes the cassette holder first to vertically ascend and then to horizontally move in a direction reverse to the insertion direction to a point at which it can be manually taken out.
In the conventional apparatus of this kind, the cassette holder and a cassette holder moving device have necessitated a complex structural arrangement. Hence, much time has been required in assembling and adjusting the cassette holder. The complexity of the structural arrangement of the cassette holder and parts in association therewith further increases in cases where the apparatus is provided with a pressing device for pressing or pushing the record bearing medium onto a rotatory spindle and/or with a stabilizer plate or the like for the purpose of stabilizing the medium relative to a recording and/or reproducing head.